Dying man’s kind act inspired by A Current Affair

When Danny McLaughlin passed away at the end of 2024, his mum, Lila, was determined to see his final act of generosity fulfilled.

Danny was so moved by a story he’d seen on A Current Affair, he made a selfless decision that would benefit thousands of people after he died from lung cancer at the age of 63.

The vision of volunteer organisation Street Side Medics assisting the homeless community in Sydney led Danny to make a key financial contribution to help bring the service to Melbourne.

But Danny wasn’t done there. The Geelong businessman saw a need for the service to operate in his community.

Danny never married or had children and ahead of his death, he instructed his mum Lila to donate a sizable amount of his estate to Street Side Medics (SSM).

Lila contacted SSM founder Dr Daniel Nour.

‘She told me a beautiful story about her son Danny and she informed me that the last and most important decision he made was leaving a substantial contribution to Street Side Medics with the caveat that it goes to serving people in Geelong,’ Dr. Nour told A Current Affair.

A year on, A Current Affair visited Lila along with the SSM crew.

Volunteers unveiled a brand new medical van aptly named ‘Danny’ in bold letters that’ll be operating out of Geelong.

‘That’s my boy Danny. It’s hard to believe. He will be very happy,’ an emotional Lila told A Current Affair.